People and states should not read too much into Malala Yousufzai's case. It would support the political and intellectual Left in Pakistan; not a good thing for the US. Instead, the US should support Nawaz Sharif's party to contain growing radicalism.

SONYA FATAH, a Delhi-based Pakistani journalist, wrote in The Times of India on 15th October about Malala Yousafzai: “The attack on Malala is an example of barbaric behavior by the Taliban and like-minded factions of male-collectives brainwashed into a regressive realm of religious dogma”.

Enough is said about Malala, who was shot by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for ‘spreading and supporting liberalism’. She is recovering from her injuries in a Birmingham hospital in the UK. Obviously the attack is deplorable to the extent possible.

But Americans, particularly the Republicans, should be careful in drawing the conclusions. Elections in Pakistan will take place somewhere around January and February next year. It is important for the US to make sure that Left is contained in Pakistan because the same Left which talks about liberty and freedom may argue against the NATO war on terror and that too in superior English using Western arguments. The Left outside the West should not be considered a sacred cow and always handy in furthering American interests. The better option at present is Center; Pakistan Peoples’ Party, but the best option is Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif faction).

As far as Islam’s relationship with the West is concerned, Americans should neatly understand that once votes are granted to people, the results couldn’t be fixed by the US except in exceptional circumstances as in Pakistan. There is no point in mourning the rise of Mr. Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. It was inevitable and the support that Mr. Morsi is getting is minimal.

Had Hosni Mubarak continued for longer, Mr. Morsi’s support could have been bigger. The US needs to understand that even though there are some economic corollaries in Koran and Shariah, which appear closer towards communism but they are mostly rightist preaching. There is a new norm in the Middle East; modernized, vocal and more assertive Islamism and both future Republican and Democrat administration should accept this. One day, and that day is not too far off, this will happen all around Islamic societies. Pakistan is not any exception in this regard and its nuclear capabilities make it more important.

It is the Right in Pakistan which can serve present American interests best in Af-Pak region with the NATO troops staying in Afghanistan till 2014 and beyond. The Pakistani Right has been absent at the national stage since the war on terror started and therefore, a chance would help boost its image and Americans exploring new possibilities. It so happens that the US is involved in framing corruption charges on Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani President, by Pakistani Supreme Court. After all it was practically Mr. Zardari who should have allowed Osama Bin Laden’s entry into Abbottabad in 2008, after the death of his wife and the then Prime Ministerial candidate Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, believing that Americans were involved in her assassination. Bush, 43 should have got to know immediately about Bin Laden but left him to be killed during Mr. Obama’s term.

Earlier Pakistan should have tried a look-alike of Bin Laden since somewhere around 2006 in the same campus to assess the CIA’s predatory and coercive powers. The CIA should have got to know immediately; after all India and Pakistan had a millennium long common history and elites of both the states can speak good English. But Bush didn’t do anything knowing very well that Pervez Musharraf, the then President of Pakistan, would play a game. Mr. Musharraf proposed amnesty to tainted leaders through National Reconciliation Ordinance in 2007. Ms. Bhutto ended her exile and contested election and was killed during an election rally in Rawalpindi.

Anyway even if Mr. Zardari is not involved some people at the top should have been involved and the US can put pressure on the outcome of upcoming Pakistani National Assembly elections. The best thing for the West to try in the non-West is to contain the Anglicization of the Left and spread Anglicization through the Right. Of course, generally speaking the best bet by the US in the South Asia is the Center.

The Right needs to get power in Pakistan to effectively and efficiently contain the radicalism and fundamentalism there with the help of the US. In order for Pakistan to become a modern society in distributive sense, the political Right needs to be more liberal and flexible and this is only possible when it is in power and performing well.

The people and states should not be emotive about Malala beyond a point. She is a brave girl and a representative and adorable being. But that’s all: nothing more than that. The US and the rest of the West should make sure that things do not go against their interests. The US should consider post-withdrawal scenario in Afghanistan and should look for greater say in Afghan affairs once its combat operation duties are over. The US should not shy off taking some strategic returns after investing so much treasure and men in Afghanistan. It should be participant in exploiting Afghanistan’s natural wealth and should look for an airbase near the Afghanistan-Iran border.

All things need to be corrected to the proportionate scale. Undue importance should not be attached to a single incident. The bottom line is that Pakistan would not become more moderate state than what it can be by this media coverage of Malala incident. The bond; that of Islamic brotherhood, should continue. Muslims are Muslims and they will always remain so statistically speaking. Liberalism has limits in Pakistan and the West should not support Leftist conservatism there.

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